On Friday 3 July, the Institute for Advanced Family Studies (IESF) at UIC Barcelona held the graduation ceremony for the 27 students from the Postgraduate Degree in Family Support and Guidance. The ceremony was presided over by the Institute's director, Dr Marc Grau, who was accompanied by the director of the Postgraduate Degree, Ms Pilar Lacorte, and Dr Montserrat Gas-Aixendri, full professor at the University and president of the International Network of University Family Institutes (REDIUF), who served as the cohort’s guest of honour.

In her opening remarks, Pilar Lacorte welcomed the graduates and their families and thanked them for trusting in a programme committed to providing a rigorous and deeply human-centred education geared towards supporting families.

Support as a commitment to people and families

In her keynote lecture, Dr Gas-Aixendri reflected on the origins of the postgraduate programme, launched in response to a genuine need: to educate professionals capable of supporting families “with patience, competence, humanity and hope”. The guest of honour stressed that supporting families means “listening, understanding and walking alongside each person and each family at their own pace”, while respecting their individual stories and circumstances, particularly in the context of the profound social and cultural transformations we are currently experiencing. Instead of focusing exclusively on the difficulties many families are facing, Dr Gas-Aixendri called for a more hope-filled approach: “Every family has strengths on which it can rebuild, and every person has a capacity for growth that deserves to be recognised.”

Addressing the new graduates, the legal scholar and expert in family support reminded them that the ceremony does not mark the end of their journey, but the beginning of a new stage of service. She concluded her speech by underscoring the importance of the work they are about to undertake: “Those who support a family strengthen a community, a generation and, ultimately, society as a whole,” she noted.

A programme that also transforms those who offer support

On behalf of the graduating class, student Laure Rouxel expressed her gratitude for the support offered during the academic year and argued that the postgraduate course’s most valuable lesson extends far beyond its academic content. “We live in a society that too often mistakes supporting others for telling them what to do, giving advice or solving their problems. Yet here we discovered something far more profound. Supporting others means being present, listening before speaking, understanding before judging and walking alongside each person without trying to take their place,” explained the new graduate.

The student representative reminded those present that the true value of the postgraduate programme extends well beyond the diploma they received: “Not only have we gained the tools required to support others, but we have also learned to accept support ourselves. That makes us better professionals, but above all, better people.”

Following the presentation of diplomas to the graduates, the Institute’s director, Dr Marc Grau, brought the ceremony to an end by congratulating the new cohort and encouraging them to continue to place their knowledge at the service of families and society. 

The ceremony concluded with the singing of the traditional Gaudeamus Igitur and refreshments for the graduates, their families and teaching staff.